Nottingham Forest Battle With Newcastle For Ratings A Player

Nottingham Forest suffered a third successive home defeat as they were beaten 2-0 by Tottenham

It was a battling performance from the hosts but will have done little to ease the pressure on head coach Steve Cooper. The Reds are on a run of one win in 13 games.

Matt Turner had to make a big save inside the first three minutes to keep out Son Heung-Min as Spurs looked sharp from the off. But although the visitors had the majority of possession, the Reds had a golden opportunity of their own before the 20-minute mark.

Neco Williams and Morgan Gibbs-White combined down the right, with the latter then playing in Anthony Elanga. The summer signing raced clean through but could not beat Guglielmo Vicario with his effort, although he may well have fallen foul of the offside flag in the process.

In an action-packed first half, Turner then denied ex-Red Brennan Johnson before Ben Davies headed over from the resulting corner. And at the other end, Cheikhou Kouyate almost got on the end of a Moussa Niakhate long throw.

Just as Forest had grown into the game, they fell behind on the stroke of half-time. Richarlison glanced in a Dejan Kulusevski cross to open the scoring.

Willy Boly blasted a good chance over, then Elanga had an effort ruled out for offside. But all of a sudden, the hosts went from almost getting back in the game to being 2-0 down when Kulusevski doubled Spurs’ lead.

Tottenham were down to 10 men for the final 20 minutes as Yves Bissouma was sent off for a tackle on Ryan Yates. But Forest were unable to make the most of their numerical advantage. Here’s how Reds reporter Sarah Clapson rated the Forest players at the City Ground.

Matt Turner: Despite making some decent saves, let himself down with the goals conceded and being poor with the ball at his feet. Won’t want to watch the second one back. Rating: 4/10

Neco Williams: Had his work cut out dealing with Son Heung-Min down that flank but stuck to his task. Supplied some good delivery with balls into the box, too. Rating: 8/10

Willy Boly: The one player Forest wouldn’t have wanted that second half chance to fall to. Even so, he might still have expected to do better with it. Rating: 6.5/10

Murillo: Always looks good with the ball and even tried an overhead kick at one point. The Reds could do with a clone of him to play further up the pitch. Rating: 7/10

Moussa Niakhate: Might have done better with Spurs’ second goal. Caused problems at the other end with his long throws, though. Rating: 6.5/10

Harry Toffolo: Almost got on the scoresheet again with another header. Would have made for an interesting final few minutes if he had, and would have been well deserved. Rating: 7.5/10

Orel Mangala: Showed some nice touches once the Reds had worked their way into the game. A fighting performance all round which deserved more than defeat. Rating: 7.5/10

Cheikhou Kouyate: Can’t fault the midfielder’s work-rate as, like the rest of the team, he put a shift in. Almost forced an opening in the first half. Rating: 7/10

Ryan Yates: Like a man possessed in the middle of the pitch. Led by example with a superb performance. Got right in Spurs’ faces from the off and didn’t let up all evening. Rating: 8/10

Morgan Gibbs-White: Involved in some positive moments and gave his all throughout. Forest lacked quality in the final third, though, as they did not make the most of their good play. Rating: 7/10

Anthony Elanga: If only he could better judge being able to stay onside. So frustrating as the Reds put together some nice moves at times and deserved something to show for their efforts. Rating: 6.5/10

Subs

Chris Wood (for Boly, 67mins): Didn’t really get an opportunity to make his mark. Rating: 6/10